The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-01-13

Sacramento. Tho North Fork ba,l over
flowed its banks and liattlesnakc creek was
impossible. 4, The few powders that had
marked the summer ford at Simpsons Cross
Ing were obliterated by vast sheet Of water
stretching to the foothills. The up stage was
stopped at Changers; the last mail had been
abandoned in the tIles, tho ri,ler swimming
for his life "Ap area" remarked The Sierra
Avalauchc, with pensivo local pride, "as
large rs tslo statc of Massachusetts, il now
Under wat '.".4s IS -.s-af3 fla. .fkEt
Nor was the weather any better in the foot
lli.l;. The mud lay deep on tho mountain
road; wagons that neither physical force nor
moral objurGation could Wovo from the evil
ways iato which they had fallen encountered
tie track, and the way to Simpsons Bar was
indicated by broken down teams and hard
swearing And farther on, cut of and mac
ccssible, rained upon and bedragslcd, s.uittei
by Ugh winds and threatened by high water,
Simpsons Oar, ON the eve of Christmas day,
1SGj24, chung like a swallows nest to the rocky
entablature and splintered capitals Of Table
mountain, and shook in the blast.
AS night shut down ON the settlement
few lights cleaned through the mist from tie
windows of cabins on either side of the high
way now crossed and quilted by lawless
streams End swept by marauding winds.
Happily most Of the population were gath.
cred at Thompson's store, clustered around
red hot stove, at which they silently spat in
some accepted sense of social communion
that, perhaps, rend, ed conversation unnec-
essary. Indeed, most methods of diversion
had long since been exhausted at Simpsons
Bar; high water had suspended the regular
occupations Oh gulch and on river, and con-
scqueua Lack of money and whisky had taken
tho Zess from most iliegitimate recreation.
Even Eir. Hamlin was fain to leave the Bar
With $50 in his Eocket-tlic only amount
actually realized OF the large sums won by
him in tho srlccessful exercise of his airluoUS
profession at was asked" he remarked
somewhat later, .ef ! was asked to pint out
purity little village where retired sport as
didn't care for money could exercise hissclf,
frequent and lively, I'd say Simpsons Par;
but for u young man with large family dc
pending on his exertions, it don't pay"
As Dir. IIalnlin's family consisted
mainly of female adults, this remark
is quoted rather to show the breadth of
his hunior than the exact extent of his re-
spomsibiity.
Howbet, the unconscious objects of this
satire sat that evening in the listless apathy
bcgottcn OF i,llcness AND lack of excitement.
Even the sudden splasliing of boots before tho
door did not arouse them. Dick Bullen alone
paused in the act of scraping out his pipe,
end lifted his head, but no ono of the group
indicated any interest in, or recognition OF,
the man who entered. s...-. a..
It was figure familiar enough to tho COM
pany, and known in Simpsons Bar rs "The
Old Man" a man of perhaps so years;
grizzled and scant,of hair, but still fresh and
youthful of complexion. A face full of ready,
but not very powerful sympathy, with a
chameleon like aptitude for taking on the
shade and color of contiguous moods and feel
ings. He had evidently just left some hilari-
Gus companions, and did not ct first notice
the gravity of the group; but slapped the
shoulder Of tho nearest man jocularly, and
threw himself Into vacant chair.
"Jest heard the best thing out, boys! Ye
know Smiley, over yar-Jim Snniley-fun-
niest man in the Bare Well, jim was jest
telling the richest yarn about
sankey's - fool, interrupted gloomy
voice. ....... .. .. .as r.... Sd.
"a particular skunk" added another
In sepulchral accents. s= -.la
A silence followed these positive statements.
The Old Nan glanced quickly around the
group Then his face slowly changed
"rhat's So" he said renectivcly. after pause,
"certingly a sort of skunk anil suthia of q
fool. In COURSE" He was silent for mo-
ment IS in painful contemplation of the I'M
savoriness and folly of the unpopular Smiley
"Dismai weather, amt it?' he added, now
fully embarked on the current of prevailing
sentiment. mighty rough papers on the
boys, and no show for money this season.
And to-morrow's Christmas"
There was movement among the men at
this announcement. but whether of satisfac-
ton or disgust was not plain. sYes," con-
tinued tho Old Man in the lugubrious tone
he had, within the last few moments, un-
consciously adopted-"yes, Christmas, and
to-nish:'s Christmas eve. We sec, boys, /
kinder thought-that Is, I sorter had an iles,
Jest passin' like. you know-that may be ye'l
all like to como over to my house tonight
and have q sort of tear round. But SUD-
pose, now, you wouldn't! Don't feel like it,
maybe?" hp added with anxious sympathy,
peering into the faces of his companions.
@Well, I don't KNOW" responded Tom
| Flynn with some cheerfulness. aP'r'aps we
may. But how about your wife, Old Man!
What does she say to ito"
The Old Man hesitated. His conjugal ex-
perience had not been happy one, and the
| feet was known to Simpsons Bar. His first
\ wife, dslicate, pretty little woman, had
suffered kecnly and secretly freq, the Jealous
suspicious Of her husband, until one day he
| invited the whole Bar to his house to expose
her infldelity. On arriving, the party found
the shy, petite creature quietly engaged in
! her household duties, and retired abashed
and discounted. But the sensitive wo-
man dill not easily recover from the
extraordinary shock of this outrage.
It was with difficulty she regained heg
equanimity sufficiently to release her Loves
frQm the closet In Which he was enpneesel